Following the revelations stemming from the investigation of the Watergate break-in, President Richard M. Nixon resigned the Presidency in this letter dated August 9, 1974. The President's resignation letter is addressed to the Secretary of State, in keeping with a law passed by Congress in 1792. The letter became effective when Secretary of State Henry Kissinger initialed it at 11:35 a.m.Read more at American Originals...

A page from former President George H.W. Bush’s diary recounting Nixon’s resignation are part of the Eyewitness exhibit--travelling to museums nationwide through 2008.